USAID health project wins support

USAID health project wins support

Nyimba , June 7,2013, ZANIS…..Chiefs in Nyimba district of eastern

province have welcomed a USAID funded project which aims at improving

the health of pregnant women and under five children.

Chieftainess Mwape said the programme which was sensitizing rural

communities on issues relating to safe motherhood had empowered her

subjects with knowledge on good health practices.

Chieftainess Mwape said more women were now seeking health care services

at medical institutions saying initially they  were reluctant to

deliver in clinics.

She was speaking today during an orientation workshop aimed at promoting

Safe motherhood in the district.

She said the Communication Support for Health Project came at the

right time to address the health problems affecting women.

She urged her subjects to support the project during the

implementation and also advised key players to work together to make

sure that the project achieved the intended goals for which it was

designed.

And Communication Support for Health Coordinator Maggie Sinkamba told

ZANIS in an interview in Nyimba  that her organization

entered into a partnership with the government after a  needs

assessment revealed that there was need to intervene in the area of

communication about safe motherhood.

Mrs Sinkamba said that prominent among the issues noted were that

mothers covered long distances to rural health centers, poor communication

between men and women about family planning and late booking for

antenatal visits.

She added that Change Champions would also advocate to government and

other partners for the construction of more health facilities and

mothers waiting shelters to increase access to antenatal care.

She further said the project which was expected to contribute to the

reduction of the maternal mortality rate which stands at 591, to 161

by the year 2015, had also been launched in Kalomo, Mansa and Lundazi

districts.

The Communication Support for Health Project which was launched

recently under the Saving Mother Initiative.